Why Is My Child Wetting The Bed, Again?

As many as 1 in 20 children over the age of six years often wet their beds at night. LOREN STOW spoke to Dr David Rosenstein – a Cape Town based clinical psychologist with a special interest in children, adolescents and bedwetting – to find out more about this often misinterpreted challenge

- Loren Stow

A surprisingly common occurrence, night bedwetting in older children can be a cause of constant stress and frustration. It also may lead to social and emotional challenges in later childhood.

Firstly, it is important to look at what typical night bedwetting is; in other words, what can you expect from your growing child. Dr Rosenstein explains that before the age of four years, night bedwetting is completely expected, and some occurrences can continue until a child is as old as six years.

“I would say it is expected and pretty normal for a child aged five to six years to wet their bed once a week, and for a child aged six and over to have an accident of this nature perhaps once a month.” However, if your child is five or six years old and wets their bed at night twice or more times a week, or your six-year-old child has an accident a night more than once a month, the doctor stresses that your child needs to be seen by a paediatrician to investigate possible causes.

COMMON MYTHS DISPELLED

Dr Rosenstein implores that parents remember that a child who wets their bed at night is not being naughty or lazy. “There are some pretty damaging myths around night bedwetting, which can cause a lot of stress and feelings of guilt for the child. These feelings may then lead to low self-esteem and other emotional and social issues.”

Common Misperceptions That Dr Rosenstein Sees In His Practice Include:

Myth

Give the child less to drink leading up to bedtime.

Fact

Research shows that when it comes to night bedwetting, reducing liquid intake from early evening onwards has no real impact on the condition at all.

Myth

The child can learn to stop on its own.

Fact